


The Silence

by akatsuki_tsukiyomi (Yumi25Nakashima)



Series: First Blush [34]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Established Relationship, F/M, Hetalia Countries Using Human Names, Human & Country Names Used (Hetalia), Implied/Referenced Character Death, Inspired by Poetry, Past Lives, Past Relationship(s), Poetry, Reader-Insert, Slam Poetry, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28548120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yumi25Nakashima/pseuds/akatsuki_tsukiyomi
Summary: They're mortal. They live their lives on a clock...  And only if you're lucky, or cursed, more like--you'll meet them, again and again. And it's your choice to associate yourself with them. To be a part of the fleeting moments of their human existence.
Relationships: China (Hetalia)/Reader
Series: First Blush [34]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2089500
Kudos: 4





	The Silence

**Author's Note:**

> (F/N) - Reader's First Name  
> (L/N) - Reader's Last Name  
> Wang Yao - China's official human name  
> Alfred F. Jones - America's official human name  
> Francis Bonnefoy - France's official human name
> 
> This one-shot is inspired by Michael Faudet's poem of the same title.

She looked at the calm nightscape, her only companion in lonely evenings. The space in front of her as she ate was empty. The space beside her as she slept was empty. The emptiness she woke to every morning was almost familiar now.

Leaving early for work and coming home early in the morning had become his routine.

**_On a good day_ **

**_I could hear a pin drop,_ **

She unlocked the front door, slipping the jangling keys back into the expansive pocket of her coat.

As she undressed, she heard her phone ring with a notification. She grabbed it on her way to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she pulled out a frozen meal. Lately, she had been gravitating towards microwaving her boyfriend's homemade meals. A little bit of him that she hoped would alleviate the lingering void that his lack of presence lay upon the whole house.

As she transferred the meal onto a ramekin, she unlocked her phone to check her messages. Setting up the microwave, she started to heat her food.

**Yao:** _I'll be home late again. Don't wait up._

A sigh left her as she simply turned off her phone.

**_the distant humming_ **

**_of a bumblebee,_ **

\---

"Yao?" She groggily asked as she woke up to the frantic rustling of clothes. She sat up and turned on the dim bedside lamp. He stood by their closet, briskly throwing on his uniform.

" _Duìbìqi_ ," **I'm sorry** he said in between buttoning his jacket. "I've been called for an emergency meeting."

She did not hide the disappointment in her face. "Alfred again?"

His amber eyes found hers and he almost looked apologetic.

"I swear if it's another one of his drivels, I will leave immediately-aru."

She slowly got under the covers once again.

**_a soapy bubble_ **

**_popping in a bath._ **

"Alright," she said, defeated. He quickly tied his hair and clasped his belt on. He made his way to her side of the bed and bent down to press a gentle kiss against her forehead.

"I'll be back soon. Sleep well, _Tiánxīn_." **Sweetheart**

In the haze of the dawn, she felt Yao return an hour or two after he had gone but he had routinely left once more, not more than three hours later. She could be mistaken, too sleepy to pay attention to the time.

\---

**Then**

**_But somehow,_ **

**_I didn't hear_ **

"Take care of yourself man," Alfred said as he turned the corner to Yao's street. Alfred offered to carpool Yao and Francis home.

The older man laughed at him. "Come now, don't treat me like a child-aru. I can handle it."

"How you do it, I'll never know," Francis commented, flicking his hair from his shoulder as he scrolled through his phone. He only sighed in response.

Alfred yawned at the wheel. "How many times is that now anyway?"

"Since I can remember, more than twenty times now," Francis said, making the American gape at Yao.

"Gee, that's rough."

Yao shrugged, looking out the window.  
  
  


"This is why I don't pursue anyone, even when it looks promising," Francis said from the back seat. "They're mortal. They live their lives on a clock, spending their days briefly. They are different from us. We only grow old on the inside, weary and wise, but we never really change, do we? When they do come back, those beautiful souls, they have no idea of the lives they've already lived, they are ignorant that their existence is only stopped because of their bodies decaying with time. They are oblivious to the hearts they have touched in the previous lives they have spent. And only if you're lucky, or cursed, more like--you'll meet them, again and again. And it's your choice to associate yourself with them. To be a part of the fleeting moments of their human existence. It's a torturous process, _mes frères_. You, _Chine_ , I do not understand your elderly perception. You meet her, you fall in love, she leaves, and once again, you're all alone. You spend lifetimes upon lifetimes without her and for countless times now, you meet her once more. You go through the same arduous heartache and yet, you continue to pine for her soul." **my brothers, China**

The blond shrugged. " _Je ne te comprends pas_." **I don't understand you**

**_the deafening roar_ **

**_of my heart breaking._ **

"That's the most worthwhile thing you've said in the last century," Alfred commented.

"Hey!"

Another sigh came from Yao, his heart was heavy in his chest. **_"_** _Shǒu dé yún kāi jiàn yuèmíng_ ** _._** I will be alright eventually. But I would rather witness and be there with her as she blooms and withers than to have not come across her." **Watch and the clouds will part to show the moonlight**

Alfred parked outside his apartment and unlocked the car doors.

 _"Mieux vaut avoir aimé et perdu que de n'avoir jamais aimé du tout_ ," **It is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all** Francis translated.

' _I'm surrounded by old geezers_ ,' Alfred thought to himself.

"Thank you for the ride-aru," Yao said as he opened the door and stepped out. He stuck his head back in to wave at Francis. " _Nàme míngtiān jiàn_." **See you tomorrow then**

Francis waved elegantly. Alfred sent a short wave before Yao shut the door.  
  
  
  


He dropped his house keys onto the table as he walked in. He looked at himself in the mirror, wearing a white suit. He could never get used to the stillness in the air whenever he got home to an empty house, knowing there was no longer anyone waiting for him.

There was no one to greet him as he arrived. There was no one to send him off to work with a warm embrace. There was no one to endearingly praise his cooking.

Once again, the wind of time had blown in and out of his home.

Taking one small step at a time, he went about his apartment and brought down the framed photographs of him with her. He gathered the photographs in his hand and made his way to the bedroom.

In the back of the closet was an ornately designed box. Inside were various photographs, most worn down with time, letters, and other trinkets he had gathered over the years—a little bit of her that he hoped would alleviate the lingering void that her lack of presence lay upon him.

**_Just the silence_ **

**_when you were gone._ **

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally published in Wattpad on Jul 10, 2020.


End file.
